Terry McGovern
JF: What’s the biggest perk about being a voice actor?
TM: The money. If you start making money at it, that’s a cool thing.JF: Why did you choose to audition for the role of Launchpad in the first place?
Image courtesy of Terry McGovern
TM: Actors audition. That’s their job. They don’t get up and go a movie set unless they audition for it. So that’s what I did, and as a matter of fact almost didn’t get to do it. Because I threw a real hissy fit and called my agent and raised a stink, because I knew I could do this, there was no question in my mind about it -- the directions were that it was a cross between Jack Burns and Norm on “Cheers” -- and I was right, because they picked me. They even auditioned Jack Burns and the actor who plays Norm.
That often happens. They’ll have a model in mind but the model himself won’t be up to the task. You really do have to have a sense of what it means to do animation. While most actors on television are required to pull things back a little bit because the camera’s on top of you, that’s not the case in animation. It’s always larger than life.
JF: Was there something about animation that pulled you to it?
TM: I’ve done voices all my life. I was doing voices when I was a little kid, and I had a talent for it. I define talent as work. If you’re always working at something, you’re going to be good at it. You know the type, people who walk around doing voices. But if you know anybody who walks around doing voices all the time, they’re either insane or they’re voice actors, or possibly both.JF: How do I get to be a cartoon voice actor?
TM: They most important organs we have are our ears. Everybody thinks it’s the voice, but almost anybody can do a voice. Acting is an imitative art – we’re constantly looking for what makes that-person-that-I’m-trying-to-be different. I always have to emphasize my teachings by saying, “Alright, what is it about this character that’s not like you?” If you’re just going to play what’s like you, then there’s not really going to be much happening. You really have to go to the center of the character, and those are the things you play, the differences.With cartoon character acting, you have to be a student of the business. If you don’t know who Cartman is in “South Park,” then you should probably find something else to do. You have to be tuned in, because that’s what the market’s looking for. You’re not going to be auditioned by brain surgeons; you’re going to be auditioned by a bunch of young kids who have grown up on animation and video games.
JF: How did your experience differ between “Ducktales” and “Darkwing Duck?” I heard that for “Ducktales” the actors recorded together.